


Happiness

by HK44



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blind Character, Deaf Character, Ficlet, Original Character(s), Questions, Sign Language, contemplations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-31 22:58:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10909197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HK44/pseuds/HK44
Summary: “Do we experience happiness like other people?”David paused. “Um..”I think so?





	Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> I've missed writing original work so this was a fun blurb.

“Are we happy?”

Stacy’s voice was oddly timid. Didn’t suit her. Didn’t like it.

Sounded funny.

Like.

The way marbles fell on a glass. Too clinky. Too unnatural.

David screwed up her face and uncrossed her arms. _What do you mean?_

There was heave of a sigh and a grunt. Stacy collided, all warm limbs and long legs, into David’s side. Her breath was hot against exposed ears. Her hands twitched, eager to sign but pinned down. “Do we experience happiness like other people?”

David paused. “Um..” Her hand went fisted format with her pinkie finger out and thumb to her chest. Then she tapped the side of her head with her index finger, spilled her hand into a proper fist and then expanded out so there was a gap between her palm and fingers but the tips still touched her thumb. _I think so?_

“My brother asked.” Stacy shifted. “Yesterday.” She kicked David’s thigh. “What makes you happy?”

David thought about. Paused. Breathed. In the back of her mind, thoughts whirled. _You._ She licked her lips. _Kunai, I suppose._ She flexed her wrist out. _I like cooking._

“I think killing made me happy,” Stacy said and her voice was hushed at a whisper that made David’s body shiver. “Charlie made me happy. And you. And Phy.”

_Charlie can’t make us happy. He very bad,_ David signed. She frowned. _He not good person._

“I know,” Stacy huffed.

_Bad people can’t make other people happy because they are bad._ David frowned more. But he did. Didn’t he? Didn’t Charlie make them happy? He brought them food, clothes. Games. Toys. Gave them victims to slaughter when the need to punch something raged hard and fast under their skin. And it didn’t happen often. They didn’t want to kill things constantly.

But.

Charlie was kind. Sweet. Nurturing.

He loved them

They were his favourites.

_Are we bad?_ David asked.

Stacy scratched her jaw. Her hair bounced gently at David’s face. “Yes.”

Their fingers formed an ‘o’ then her thumb moved to the bend of her middle finger, pinkie and ring folding into the palm while the other two stuck up like they’d taken in too much starch. _Okay._

Well, that settled it. Bad people could like other bad people because doing bad things made bad people happy and bad people only ever did bad things. Granted, it didn’t match up to what David knew from Bianca. That she was good. That Stacy was good. That they were made to do bad things and that it didn’t make them bad.

But by logic, doing a bad thing made a person horrible without redeem. That’s why Charlie was bad. So David and Stacy and Maria and Constance and every other child under Charlie’s care must’ve been bad too.

Maybe it was dependent on enjoyment. Or maybe it was dependent on want. David liked to do what she did. Stacy liked to do what she did.

Maria didn’t.

Constance didn’t.

Harley didn’t.

Yun didn’t.

They all despised it, fought back, argued, yelled, screamed, punched. Did everything they could until they were all but forced in the face of life and death. Because they didn’t want to. Which differed them from Stacy and David. Who were raised young. Taught to like it.

Taught to want it.

David still wanted to sometimes. Wanted to sink her fingers into the meaty neck of some annoyance and rip out their throat. And sometimes she just thought about it, overtly bored. Considering.

This train of thought was always funny. War. War was a thing. Where people killed and murdered and weren’t called bad for doing it. Were praised. So what was the difference?

David prodded Stacy’s shoulder. Stacy hummed. _Are you happy?_

Stacy shrugged. “I don’t know.”

David frowned. She didn’t know either.

_Don’t overthink it, kid._ Kunai’s voice was marginal.

_I’m not._

_You’re always thinking too much._

_I thought my problem was that I didn’t think enough,_ David huffed back, covering her face and groaning.

_You never thought when he owned you and now that you own yourself, you think too much._

_He didn’t own us._

_Sure. And I didn’t possess a chair for three days for a prank._

David’s hands dropped to her thigh, eyes wide. Amused. Concerned. Both. “You what?”

_Nothing. Shut up._

“Three days?” Her voice bubbled up from her throat into a giggling laughter. It sounded funny. She was mostly used to wheezing and seal claps but this was nice too. “Three days? For a prank?”

Kunai’s annoyance burned inside her head.  A wave of understanding pocketed over her. Still didn’t stop it from being fucking hilarious.

“You’re so weird, Ku.”

_And you’re talking to yourself._

David rolled over to her side and slung an arm around Stacy, who’s breathing was lulled but not sleeping-lulled. Watching patiently kinda lulled. “I’m talking to you.”

_And I’m in your head so what do people think when they look at you?_

David yawned. Stacy mimicked it and they laughed when the sighs faded. Stacy groaned a little. Rolled over and kicked David’s thight gently as she got more comfortable. And David thought about what she’d asked. As the silence permeated the air, breaths softening out to sleeping lulls, she thought. Patient. To herself. Like a nicety, Kunai stepped to the side. Barred himself off. Gave her space.

Was she happy?

She wasn’t sure.

But she’d like to think she was. If she wasn’t then… why bother sticking around?

Why bother staying?

If she wasn’t happy, then what was the point of it all?

_Living_ , Kunai offered from his hidden corner. _Survival_. _Telling everyone that they were wrong and proving it._

David smiled lightly and let her eyes flutter shut again. “Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> First time I’ve written from David’s POV since the revamp of her story and I like it? I was a bit uncertain about third person because the original stance was always first but third person feels nicer to me since I’ve been writing fanfic so I decided to test it out. The only downside is that David’s pronouns differ but with this format I feel I have to pick one for continuity.
> 
> Also Stacy is deaf so David is using Sign (their world only has one language for each format) which, because I’m me, is written using ASL signs in PSE format. I’ll probably have to adjust the format of sign language vs internal thoughts in the long-run.


End file.
